Diversion

The Heroes of Fannen-Dar, Chapter 23

What have I got myself into, Chester wondered as he trekked down the tunnel, following the underground river beneath the town. At first, he could barely see the thieves from the light that leaked down through the well, but soon he was relying on the sounds of their voices and footsteps, trying to strain his ears past the bubbling of the river. He hadn’t brought a torch, since he just planned on staying in the market square, but he wouldn’t have dared to light it anyway in case they spotted him. However, by the speed they were moving, he thought they might have noticed him anyway.

Then Chester heard fighting. He slipped behind a rock, but heard one of the thieves shout “Goblins!” Chester held his breath and his heart nearly skipped a beat. Goblins living underneath the town was a huge risk to everyone in Fannen-Dar. How long have they been here, and what are they planning? Not that goblins were known to plan, but they weren’t known to keep quietly to themselves either.

It wasn’t long before Chester saw the light from the chieftain’s cold-torch and heard the fighting stop. His stomach dropped when he heard a swell of goblin cheers, and realized that he had been rooting for the thieves. At least he knew what he had to do to stop thieves. Now, he needed to scope out this new threat.

Chester, thankful that he wasn’t wearing his noisy armor, followed the goblins on the edge of the light. The woman who had punched him turned and looked back at him, and he froze. He thought about hiding behind a stalagmite, but also considered trying to get her attention in order to let her know that help was on the way. But why should he help such scoundrels? Before he could decide, she got tugged by a goblin and turned back to follow their march. She hadn’t even seen him. Chester gritted his teeth and continued to sneak behind the group.

The goblins took the group back towards the river, following it until it joined another stream, then another. At this point, the river was several yards wide, and had eroded the tunnel to be a wide cavern with smooth, slick walls. The chieftain had started a chant, and the other goblins joined in to sing as they marched. They seemed jovial, and the rowdy group reminded Chester of a festival parade, except with the addition of prisoners being dragged along.

The cavern grew wider, and Chester saw an eerie glow ahead. He ducked back when he saw where the goblins were taking the thieves. The river led to a huge, swirling lake that seemed to be emitting dim light. They marched along the shore, around an outcropping of rock where Chester lost sight of them. He scanned the area, his eyes having adjusted to the miniscule amount of light available, and saw that there was a cliff that rose above the lake parallel to the direction the goblins had gone.

Chester considered what his plan was. Was there even anything to learn from spying on the goblins? Their presence endangered the city, as they clearly intended on capturing any other people they came across. Those thieves were vastly outnumbered, and even if they were able to take the goblins by surprise, a fight would likely not go their way. If Chester left now and brought the threat to the attention of the guards, they would surely take it seriously. Ignatius may want to help out the Firemen to line his pockets, but he’d gain nothing from aiding a tribe of outsiders. On the other hand, if he left now, the thieves would likely not survive.

He sighed. It was his duty to try and save them, even if they were lawbreakers. He had to face it, everyone in Fannen-Dar was a lawbreaker to some extent. If he wanted to protect the town’s citizens, these four should be no different.

After waiting until the voices had gotten farther away, Chester started to climb the narrow jut up to the cliff. He hoped the light would not reveal him, or if it did, that the goblins would be too focused on their captives to look up.

A rock fell loose and his hand slipped, almost sending him over the edge and into the lake. His arm hooked onto a stalagmite, and the rock plunked into the water with an echoing gulp. Chester also let out a gasp when he slipped, so once he had stabilized, he looked up towards the goblins. None seemed to have noticed him. He let go a silent sigh of relief, then continued climbing.

From here, Chester could see the chieftain watching over a gang of goblins tying the thieves up and forcing them into a small rowboat. The chieftain started to give a speech in Goblin, while two more dressed in fish scale armor threw scraps of food as far as they could into the lake. Chester watched as the glow that came from the lake intensified. Dozens of luminescent fish came to the surface, drawn by the scent of the meat scraps. Chester saw one leap above the surface, and saw it was a piranha with razor sharp teeth and spots of glowing skin among its scales. It devoured a chunk of feed. The chieftain finished his speech and the goblins cheered and laughed. Three of them pushed the rowboat containing the bound thieves so that it started floating aimlessly into the center of the lake, where the piranhas were impatiently waiting.

The thieves struggled, but could not escape their bonds. Chester instinctively put his hand to his side, but his sword and sheath were sitting at home. He surveyed the scene again, and realized he only had one option. He grabbed another loose rock, one as big as his fist, and brought himself up onto his knees. Chester threw the rock with all his strength, sending it flying over the goblins’ heads and towards a tunnel entrance at the other end of the cavern.

The rock clattered into the wall, and broke into smaller pieces, but caused enough of a sound that several of the goblins heard. Their heads turned quickly towards the noise and they suddenly grabbed their weapons. One called back to the chieftain, who also tensed. A small group divided off to investigate the source of the noise.

It was the perfect diversion. Chester stood up and took a step back from the ledge. One of the goblin mooks noticed him, and started trying to call back the scouts who just left. It was too late, though; Chester had already jumped.

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Chapter 24, Row >>